


Homecoming, The

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-12-30
Updated: 2004-12-30
Packaged: 2019-05-30 21:15:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15105035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Twenty-two years after giving up their daughter, CJ and Toby find her and the love they had never forgotten.  Will it work out when a reporter tries to spin the story?





	1. Homecoming, The

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

   


 

**The Homecoming**

**by: Rebecca Caron**

**Character(s):** Toby, CJ, OFC  
**Pairing(s):** Toby/CJ  
**Category(s):** General , Romance  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Disclaimer:** The West Wing, related characters, and associated story lines are owned by the Aaron Sorkin, NBC, Warner Brothers, and other various affiliates.  
**Summary:** Twenty-two years after giving up their daughter, CJ and Toby find her and the love they had never forgotten. Will it work out when a reporter tries to spin the story?  
**Author's Note:** This story is the first in a series. I'm not sure how many parts will be in the series but stay tuned and you will find them here. And they will be finished. Oh and if anyone wants to beta for the series, please contact me. I don't think there are any major spoilers. This series starts after the episode where Bartlet suffered an MS attack in season six. 

What the hell were they thinking? 

It was another beautiful morning in Washington, D.C. The White House was expecting a quiet day, which the newly appointed Chief of Staff was looking forward to. C.J. Cregg had joined the President's campaign when Toby Ziegler had come all the way to California. She hadn't seen him in years and on that morning, as with so many since they had started working together, she relieved the relationship they talked so little about. Lately it had been in the front of her mind, mostly due to the fact that she was now his boss and any real hops of having another chance with him had been ended in one swift motion. As she walked along the Mall, her thoughts turned to the events that had defined her relationship with Toby. 

They had met during a campaign in New York. Although there had been no hope they would win the campaign, they had made a valiant effort, and it had allowed Toby and C.J. the freedom to start a relationship. He had asked her out about a week after they had met and C.J. had surprised herself by saying yes. At the end of the campaign, she had a job offer in EMILY'S List and was moving out of the city. They had been together for almost six months by then and decided that they didn't want to try anything long distance. They had ended it on good terms and said they would stay in contact. 

The next time they talked was almost a month later when C.J. had left a message for Toby that they needed to talk. He had called back later that night as she was trying to figure out exactly how she was going to tell him the news. She had already made a decision about what she was going to do, but she was nervous about how he was going to react. 

"Hello." She said knowing that it would be him. 

"Hiya C.J., you called me?" Toby said. 

"Yeah, we need to talk. I would prefer to do this in person but you are on the other side of the country so this will have to do." C.J. said, trying to stay calm. 

"Whatever it is, we can handle it." Toby assured her. 

"Alright, here it goes." She paused, willing the courage to come to her and spoke the three words that had been on her mind for the last three days. "Toby, I'm pregnant." 

It was several minutes before Toby said anything, she had thought that he might have hung up on her but she could still hear him breathing on the other end. She knew that he was going through the same thoughts she had been having since visiting her doctor the day before. She had taken the home test thinking that there was no chance she was, they had been so careful. Instead, the little pink line showed up on the test and she knew that she had to call the doctor. 

"Are you sure?" Toby finally said. 

"I took a home test a few days." C.J. said as calmly as she could. "I went to the doctor yesterday and had it confirmed." 

"What are you going to do?" Toby asked. "We could get married?" 

"Toby…" C.J. said but he interrupted. 

"I miss you C.J. I still care about you." He was almost shouting now. "You are carrying my child! Let's start a family. I want you in my life." 

"Toby, we both know that it wouldn't work, there are too many things happening right now." She said. "You are running another campaign and I have so much work right now." 

"Are you having an abortion?" His voice was just above a whisper. "Please…" 

"No Toby, I'm not. I thought that I could have the baby and give it up." She said. 

"Is that what you really want to do?" Toby asked. 

"Yes." C.J. said with confidence. She had thought it over and while she was pro-choice, she knew she couldn't do that. She still cared for Toby and killing his child was not an option. 

"Well, I will support you in whatever choice you make." He paused. "But I still love you and if you change your mind I would marry you in a heartbeat, pregnant or not. When we were together, it was like I found the piece of me that was missing. You make me happy Claudia Jean, but if you feel that giving this child up it best…" 

"I do." C.J. said. "I still care about you Toby but right now our lives don't leave room for a child. As much as I want to have children, now is not the time for that." 

"Do you need any help with anything?" He asked. 

"I have everything covered." 

"C.J. I want to be there when you have the baby." He was serious. "I want to see that baby before…." 

"We can talk about that later. It's still a long way off." She said. 

"When are you due?" 

"June 22nd." 

"Alright." Someone called his name in the background. "I have to go. I will call you later when I am done here." 

"Okay, bye." 

"Bye." And he hung up. 

They talked later that night and once a month until the beginning of June when he brought up wanting to be there when the baby was born. At first, C.J. didn't want him to be there but she soon changed her mind and he came to stay with her a week before her due date. They feel into a comfortable routine and spent some time together while she was on her leave. The family that was adopting their child asked if they could meet him and Toby agreed. 

Two days after her due date, she woke up with back pain. She didn't think anything of it until she was in the kitchen. Toby came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her stomach. Suddenly she felt what she knew was a contraction. She leaned back against Toby and tried to remember to breath. They had taken the Lamaze class at the hospital knowing that she wouldn't be able to have drugs during her labor. 

"Are you alright?" Toby asked. 

"I think that I am going into labor." She said turning to face him as the contraction subsided. 

"Should I call the doctor?" He asked as he gently stroked her face. 

"Not yet. This could take awhile and he said to relax and come in after my water breaks or the contractions are five minutes apart." C.J. replied. "I'm going to go take a shower and put on something comfy. Why don't you start breakfast?" 

"Okay." He kissed her gently on the cheek and headed for the fridge to find something that was easy to make. 

C.J. emerged twenty minutes later to find pancakes, sausage, toast, and orange juice for her with coffee for Toby. They ate in mostly silence, both of their thoughts turning to the little life that was going to be taken from them soon. Toby had hoped that their child would just stay put forever inside its mother. Every contraction he helped her breath through was a reminder of what they were about to loss. After they had finished eating, they took everything into the kitchen and started doing the dishes. As she was drying the plates, she felt a sharp pain and a gush of water. Toby was back at her side in an instant. 

"Time to go." He said. 

Toby sat C.J. down on the couch and called the doctor. With that done, he grabbed the bag that C.J. had packed for her trip to the hospital that was sitting by the door. Taking C.J.'s hand, he led her down to his rental outside the apartment building. They drove in comfortable silence to the hospital, C.J. breathing through the contractions as they increased in frequency and strength. 

Once at the hospital, they were ushered into the elevator and taken right to the maternity ward and set up with all the monitors and was given an IV. When the nurse examined her, they were surprised to find that C.J. was already almost six centimeters dilated and the nurse was wondering if she was going to have an epidural. 

"No, I'm allergic to the drugs. If I could get something to take the edge off the pain that would be nice." C.J. said and the nurse had already come prepared for that and injected the drug into her IV. 

C.J.'s labor progressed nicely over the next eight hours. Toby had called the adoption agency to let them know that C.J. was in labor. They contacted the adoptive family while he called both their families. Toby knew that their families were being supportive but would have preferred them to get married and raise their child together. C.J. talked to her mom for a little while until the contractions got to be too bad for her to continue. She hung up as the doctor came in to check on her. It was time. 

As C.J. started pushing, it was clear that she was tired from the last several hours when the drugs hadn't been working all that well. Toby stood next to her, holding her hand as he encouraged her. With one last push, their child entered the world with a healthy cry. Outside the door it was clear from the cheers that the adoptive family was celebrating the birth of the newest member. At that moment it was a sad reminder that she would only be their daughter for a few days. The thought brought tears to his eyes and at the moment he was sure that the tears in C.J.'s eyes were for the same reason. 

"It appears that we have a baby girl." The doctor said as he pulled her against him. A nurse moved over and clipped the cord so that it could be cut. "Do you want to cut the cord?" 

Toby could only nodded as he was handed the scissors. He carefully cut the umbilical cord as his eyes were locked on his daughter. Her dark hair was slightly curled. Her full face was shaped like his own with his nose in the middle. He could see the beginning of C.J.'s cheekbones and this little girl had her mother's long legs that were stretched by their daughter as she lay on her mother's stomach. Toby looked at C.J. and their eyes locked. For a split second, she was hoping that he would ask her to marry him and raise a family, but she knew that they had made the right choice about the little girl who needed more then they could give her at that moment. 

"You better get out there. I want James and Christy to see her." C.J. said gently. 

"Yeah, alright. Then I should call our families." Toby said as he kissed her cheek. "You did a great job Claudia Jean." 

"Okay, hurry back." C.J. called as he walked out of the room. 

As soon as he walked into the waiting room, he was accosted by James and Christy. Their family was everywhere and it was clear that they had the support. He walked to the middle of the room and waited for them to calm down so that he could talk to them about what had just happened. When everyone had returned to their seats, he looked to James and Christy. 

"It's a girl." Hugs and kisses were shared among the family as they got up again and walked around. Toby continued when they had finished. "She weights seven pounds and eleven ounces. At twenty-one inches long she has long legs, just like…." 

"Can we see her?" James asked to change the subject. 

"Yeah, go ahead. I have to make some calls." Toby said and moved towards the payphones down the hall. Before he could even make a call, he slid down the wall and dissolved into tears. He was trying to support her choice but at the moment all he could think about was the little girl that he wouldn't see grow up. He knew that he had to let her do what she thought was right, but that didn't mean he had to like it. 

Two days later Toby and C.J. were in her hospital room, saying good-bye to their daughter. She was going home with her new family today and in a few weeks C.J. would appear in court and let them know that this was what she wanted. In the meantime, she sat on her hospital bed with Toby next to her as he held Sara, the name chosen by her adoptive parents. It was a name that both had been thinking about and had even said to each other during one night when she hadn't been able to sleep. 

"Hey, Toby." C.J. said. "Could you get my bag out of the closet? Look for a blue jewelry box." 

He reluctantly handed Sara to C.J. and got off the bed to get the bag out of the closet. He opened it and moved the clothes around to find the box. It was in the side pocket. He grabbed it quickly and moved back to the bed. Toby found his seat again on the bed and placed the box next to him between them. Sara was looking around the room; at two days old it was clear that she was a curious baby. 

"Can you open it for me? I want to make sure that I brought the right box." C.J. said as she smiled at him. 

Toby opened the box and was surprised to find the necklace he had gotten her while they were in Boston the campaign trail. The silver chain was plain, but the owl amulet that hung was anything but. The large blue stone that made up its body was continued in the smaller stones that formed the eyes and feet. C.J. and Toby had gone shopping one night before dinner on a rare quiet night. She had fallen in love with it and he had to buy it for her. 

"I didn't think that you would still have this." He said in amazement. 

"Why wouldn't I." She said looking into his eyes. "Now I think that it is something good to pass on to her. She was conceived the night you gave me this. I am almost sure." 

A knock on the door caused them to look up and away from each other. The door opened and in came the social worker that had been assigned their daughter's adoption. It was time. Toby nodded and she walked over and watched as first he then C.J. said goodbye to the baby they would always love. C.J. handed the young woman the box. 

"I want to pass this on to her. There is a letter in the box explaining what it is. I already told Christy about it. She said that it was alright and is expecting it." C.J. said with tears in her eyes. 

The young woman nodded and took the baby from her. They watched as she walked out the door. As soon as it was closed, C.J. dissolved into tears as Toby held her. When she went home later that day, it was as if she had lost a part of herself. After a few days, Toby left to join a campaign. They would talk a few times over the years but things were just too hard. It wasn't until they started working together that they finally found some peace between them that lasted more than a few days. By the time they were in the office they had even fallen back into a flirty, teasing pattern. It had helped that he had been married at the time they started working on the campaign. 

C.J. had been thinking about Sara a lot lately. She was twenty-two years old now and might be looking for her parents. She wondered who Sara looked like. At her birth, she had looked like Toby but she might have changed, probably had. Had she gone to college and what had she studied or maybe she was still in school? C.J. wanted to know what her life was like and how she had grown up. 

Waving to the guard at the door she walked to her office to find Margaret already at her desk. She had always liked Margaret when Leo had still been the CoS. It was a relief that she had agreed to stay on with her. The transition had been easier with her around. The red-head looked up as C.J. approached. 

"Toby is in your office. He insisted on seeing you before the staff meeting. He won't say what it's about." Margaret said as she handed C.J. her messages. 

"Thanks." She said as she took her messages and walked into her office closing the door. "Hello Tobus. What's up?" 

"I just got stopped by a reporter who wants a comment from you and me on a story that he is coming out with." He handed her a file. 

She set the file on her desk and opened it to find a picture that she had not seen in years. She had put her copy away because it was too hard to look at. It was the picture she and Toby had taken the day Sara had been given to James and Christy. She flipped it to find Sara's adoption papers and the original birth certificate along with the one that had been given to James and Christy with their names. The next was a copy of a newspaper article that told of the car accident that had taken the lives of James and Christy as they had been on the way to a hospital. James was having an MS attack and the couple had been at a party a few blocks away. The car had skid on black ice and crashed into a tree a block from the hospital. Sara was just thirteen. Also in the file was record of her custody being transferred to a Daniel Concannon. All of this information was discussed in an article by a reporter who was new to the White House Press Room. The article also called for an investigation into any possible improper behavior by the two during their time in the White House. 

"They want a comment, uh?" C.J. was getting angry. "I will give them a comment: What the hell are they doing?" 

"We can fix this." He said calmly. 

"Yeah?" C.J. was clearly upset. 

"Sara requested a copy of her adoption records about a month ago and our names were recognized by someone at the agency. They leaked it and now they have a story appearing on Monday." 

"It's Friday. Are they giving us the weekend to sort this out?" C.J. asked. 

"Something like that. The reporter said they will replace the story with an interview with us if we agree to it, sort of a coming out for Sara with the press. And they want it as an exclusive." Toby said. 

"Do we even know where she is?" C.J. asked looking into the rest of what was in the file. 

"Georgetown. She's a graduate student in Political Science. A minor in Communications." 

Her school records and a recent picture were in the file after the article. C.J. picked up the picture and looked at it closely. Sara still looked like her father; they had the same face and build. The one thing that C.J. noticed was her eyes. Her daughter had her eyes. She was beautiful. And she had done well for herself without her parents. Her guardian had done a good job. A National Merit scholar who had gotten a full ride to her choice of schools, Sara had started at the University of Illinois at Springfield as a member of the Capital Scholars program. After graduation she had moved back to D.C. and started a graduate program at Georgetown. Currently she worked in the Minority Leaders office. At least their daughter was a Democrat. With a poli sci major, it made sense to go where the action was and Sara had started local, just like everyone said you should. 

"Her guardian is an old friend of ours, Danny Concannon. He moved her to D.C. after her adoptive parents died. He has been taken care of her since then." Toby tried to keep his voice even not to show his jealousy at the mention of Danny Concannon. It wasn't that he disliked the guy but he had always hoped that he and C.J. could rekindle what they had had all those years ago. 

"I'll call him. We have to get her here before the rest of the press finds out what is going on. It could be bad. The last thing we need is hearings right now." C.J. said. 

"Okay, I will check in with you later then." Toby said. "Are you gonna be alright with this? I mean I know it was hard for me then…" 

"I know. But at the same time I want to know her." C.J. said. "And even if the press didn't get a hold of this we would have been meeting her soon anyway, she did request her records." 

"I'm here… you know, if you…" 

"Yeah Toby. Let me call Danny. Have Ginger put a lunch meeting on your schedule. I don't care what you have to cancel." C.J. said. 

"Yeah, okay." Toby turned and walked towards the door. "I can't wait to meet her too." 

All C.J. could do was smile. 


	2. Homecoming, The 2

 

**The Homecoming**

**by: Rebecca Caron**

**Character(s):** Toby, CJ, OFC  
**Pairing(s):** Toby/CJ  
**Category(s):** General , Romance  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Disclaimer:** The West Wing, related characters, and associated story lines are owned by the Aaron Sorkin, NBC, Warner Brothers, and other various affiliates.  
**Summary:** Twenty-two years after giving up their daughter, CJ and Toby find her and the love they had never forgotten. Will it work out when a reporter tries to spin the story?  
**Author's Note:** This story is the first in a series. I'm not sure how many parts will be in the series but stay tuned and you will find them here. And they will be finished. Oh and if anyone wants to beta for the series, please contact me. I don't think there are any major spoilers. This series starts after the episode where Bartlet suffered an MS attack in season six. 

Making the Call 

As soon as Toby was gone she picked up the phone. Looking in the file, she found Danny's home number but tried him at the paper first. She was told he was out of the office for the day spending time with his niece. She then called the house and was surprised when Sara answered on the second ring. 

"Concannon Residence." 

"Is Danny home?" 

"Yeah. Just a second." C.J. heard Sara put the phone down and call out to her. "Uncle Danny! Phone! I think its C.J. Cregg, or at least it sounds like her!" 

"Hello?" Danny picked up the phone right away. 

"Hi Danny." 

"C.J.?" 

"Yeah. I have to talk to you." She said. 

"Can this wait? I have plans with my niece today." 

"It's about your niece." C.J. said calmly. 

"What do you mean?" Danny asked. 

"Did she request her adoption recorders last month?" C.J. asked trying to sound casual. 

"Yeah, how did you know?" Danny was surprised. 

"Is she around?" C.J. didn't want to cause any problems. 

"No, she's on her cell phone in her room." Danny said. 

"Someone leaked them to the press." C.J. said. 

"And why is the White House involved unless her parents work at the White House….." his voice trialed off. 

"Yes." She said. 

"Who are they?" Danny asked. 

"Well… Toby Ziegler is her father." She said. 

"And what about her mother? It can't be Andrea Wyatt." He said. 

"That is the funny part… I am her mother." C.J. said with a slight nervous laugh. 

"C.J…. what is going on?" 

"The press got a hold of it. They are going to make it a story. It's not going to look good for anyone unless we come up with a solution." C.J. said. "Can you both come for lunch? I promise that I will explain everything." 

"C.J., the mail just came and her records are there. I'm going to let her read them and then we will come talk to you. But I am warning you right now, I will not be left out of anything with this." 

"I figured as much. From what I have heard you have done a great job with her." C.J. said. "I can't wait to meet her." 

"Alright, I will see when? What time?" 

"About noon. I'll have Toby meet you at the entrance to the West Wing." 

"Good." Danny said. "I gotta go and talk to Sara." 

"Yeah. I will see you later." C.J. said. 

"Yeah." They hung up. 

Danny set the phone down and looked at the envelope in his hands. It was the letter that Sara had been waiting for. He knew that his brother and sister-in-law had hoped that Sara could meet her birthparents one day. He doubted this was what they had in mind. It was clear that they were at the beginning of something that was going to change Sara's life, at the moment it wasn't clear if it was going to be good or bad. Getting up, he headed to her room and knocked on the door. 

"Come in." Sara called. 

"Hey, something came in the mail." Danny said from the door. 

"Is it?" She asked excited. 

"Yeah, and we have to talk about it." 

"Was that the phone call?" 

"Yeah, but read this first." He handed her the envelope. 

Sara took it and tore it open. There was a lot in the envelope. The first thing he noticed was the picture of a younger C.J. and Toby. Sara seemed to recognize them both as well. Moving quickly, she came to her original birth certificate. After reading it she grabbed the adoption records. Looking up at her uncle, she smiled with tears in her eyes. 

"They are my parents. The new White House Chief of Staff and the Communications Director." Sara was surprised. "I've seen at work and never thought…. That was my mother on the phone. Did the agency contact her?" 

"No, it seems that the press got a hold of your records and they are going to cause problems. C.J. asked us to have lunch with her so she could explain everything." 

"When? Today? At the White House?" 

"Today at noon at the White House. Toby is going to meet us at the West Wing entrance." Danny said. 

"Alright." Sara said. 

At the White House, C.J. was on the phone when Toby returned. He was waiting for her to finish her phone call. She was ordering lunch for the four of them in her office. The suspense was killing him. He wanted to know what she had told Danny. They weren't involved as far as he knew but there wasn't a conflict anymore and he didn't want to assume anything. He was brought back to present as C.J. hung up the phone. 

"Danny is bringing her. Meet them at the West Wing entrance around noon and we can talk in here." C.J. said. 

"Did he say anything?"  
"He warned me not to hurt her." C.J. said as she moved out from behind her desk and sat next to him on the couch. "I assured him we wouldn't." 

"That's the last thing we want to do." He said. 

"We should tell the rest of the staff. This might not work out how we want it to." C.J. said as he took her hand for support. 

"I was thinking the same thing." Toby said. "C.J…?" 

"I'm not involved with him." They were leaning towards each other. 

"Right." 

Their lips meet, gentle at first but soon the kiss deepened when Toby nipped at her bottom lip just like he used to and it wasn't long before he had her pinned to the couch, his body holding her in place under him. When they came up for air, Toby moved his kisses to her neck. C.J. was moaning as quietly as she could to not attract attention. He knew what made her crazy and had no reservation about doing them now, even though they were in her office. 

"You know, I never thanked you." He whispered against her neck. 

"For what?" She whispered back. 

"For giving me such a beautiful daughter." He said as he captured her lips again. 

They lost themselves in each other again until a knock sounded on the door leading to the Oval Office. They jumped off the couch and Toby tried to get the lipstick off his face. C.J. had just finished straightening her clothes when the President walked into the room. He looked at the two with an amused smile, a good guess in his mind at what was going on when he knocked. 

"Do you two think that you can get your asses in here for Senior Staff? Or should I send you a transcript of me tormenting Josh?" the President asked with a smile. 

"Of course, sir." Toby said. 

"Right away, sir." C.J. added. 

They followed him into the office and sat through the hour long meeting figuring out who was taking what on the hill, finding out the status of a few speeches the President was making the next three months, and figured out some of the press releases for the day. When it was over, C.J. caught the President's attention before they could all be dismissed. 

"Sir, Toby and I have something that I need to add about a potential PR problem." C.J. said. 

"I hope it has something to do with the lipstick that my Communications Director is wearing." Everyone looked at him amazed. "No offense Toby but the color looks better on C.J." 

"Sir, about twenty-two years ago I gave a baby girl up for adoption. The press has gotten a hold of it and is in position to cause trouble." 

"Why?" Josh asked. "Unless it has something to do with the father?" 

"It does." Toby said. 

"So who is he C.J.?" the President asked. "And why didn't he offer to marry you?" 

"I did offer to marry her, sir. More then once. She turned me down." Toby said. 

"What a second, Toby?" Josh was surprised. "You and C.J. have a child?" 

"Yes, a daughter." He said. 

"And the press is threatening a sex scandal right?" the President asked. 

"Yes sir." C.J. and Toby said together. 

"And I take it you are a couple again?" 

"That has yet to be determined Mr. President." Toby said. "We haven't discussed it… yet." 

"What are you doing about this?" 

"Meeting with Sara, our daughter, and her guardian to come up with a possible solution. One has presented itself but we don't know if we should take it yet." C.J. said. 

"Then I suggest you two talk and figure this out…. the sooner the better. Keep me in the loop. Anything else?" Everyone shook their heads. "Thank you." 

They thanked him and Toby followed C.J. to her office. Immediately the sat on the couch. Neither knew what to say. C.J. had always wondered what would have happened if she had married Toby. They probably would have had more children, continued their careers, and maybe even still made it to the White House. C.J. would never admit it, but she hated Andrea Wyatt. She had gotten the chance at the life she wanted with Toby and had hurt him. She had hated seeing them together during the campaign and had been relieved when their divorce was final. She had always hoped they might have another chance now. 

Next to her Toby were having the same thoughts. He knew him marriage had not worked for many reasons and one of them was because Andy was not C.J. She had accused him more then once of cheating with C.J. during the campaign and before their divorce was finalized. He had never told her about Sara, not wanting to cause any problems. Andy didn't even know that they had been involved before. He had pursued Andy in hopes that they could work things out, but she had refused him. Even after she had gotten pregnant Toby had pushed for the marriage to prevent what he thought was next, but Andy wouldn't have put the twins up for adoption. Only C.J. had recognized the look in his eyes during those weeks, it was the same one he had tried on her. 

"Toby…." 

"C.J. ...." 

The laughed. 

"You first." He said. 

"Do you want to get back together?" It was a simple question but the answer was going to be complex. 

"Yes, but we have things to consider." Toby said. 

"I know. Our jobs, the press, the image." C.J. said. "Maybe this thing with Sara will make it easier. They might make it look good. Our daughter brought us back together after all these years." 

"Maybe." He paused. "I really want to kiss you right now." 

"Then kiss me." Was all she had to say. 

His lips found hers again and the gentle kiss quickly turned to the passionate kisses they had been sharing when they had been interrupted by the President. Their frustrations showed in the kisses as they turned aggressive and hungry for more. The words shared over the years, the flirting, the teasing, everything came out at once. It collided in the same manner as their tongues as they dueled for control. Neither wanted to give it up until Toby pushed her back down on the couch. She could feel his hardness against the silk of her pants. She began wishing she had worn a skirt today, her need to make love to him greater then ever before. But then she remembered where they were. 

"Toby, we should stop. We have work to do before Sara and Danny gets here." She said gently against his neck and waited for him to sit up. 

"Yeah, I know. It's just that I have wanted to this for so long." 

"I know. We can continue this… discussion tonight." She said with the same longing his voice showed. 

"I have to get back to my office. I can't wait for lunch." 

"Me too." She said. 

Toby gave her a quick, yet meaningful kiss before he exited through the door that led to the hall. Walking to the Communications bullpen, he was surprised when Josh fell into step next to him. They looked at each other and Toby noticed that Josh had a goofy smile on his face. He was amused about what had happened and now Toby was going to get twenty questions. It didn't take long for him to start. 

"So, you and C.J. uh?" Josh asked as he followed Toby into his office. 

"Yeah." Said Toby from behind his desk as he looked at Josh in the doorway. 

"Is that why you pushed so hard for Andy to marry you when you got pregnant?" Josh asked as realization came to him. 

"Yeah." 

"You still want to marry C.J.?" Josh asked with a smile. 

"Josh…." Toby warned. 

"I'm just saying you two already act like a married couple…" Josh said. 

"Josh…." The warning increased. 

"Alright." Josh turned to leave. "Toby if you ever hurt and I will…."  
"JOSH!" 

Josh smiled and walked into his office. Pulling out the pool they had started on C.J. and Toby he was able to confirm what he already thought. It was his month for the pool; he had just won almost a thousand dollars. He knew that the President would back him on this; he had seen the lipstick too. It was going to be a good day. At least for him. Donna was going to miserable dealing with him but hey, he knew who's month it was for the pool too. As much as he wanted to get the ball rolling with Donna, he had to wait a little longer now. At least until this new thing blew over. 

The rest of the morning progressed like any other in the White House. The assistants had heard about what had happened. Toby did have to warn them about saying no comments to the press. They thought that the situation was interesting. Everyone suspected that something had at least happened between those two but this was bigger than they thought. Disappointment went through in waves as they realized Josh had won the pool and that Donna was in for a rough day. 

A little before noon, C.J. called Toby to make sure that he went to meet Sara and Danny at the West Wing entrance. She was jealous that he would be first to see her but she couldn't draw the attention of the media in the area. Toby picked up quickly. 

"Yes." He said, annoyed that someone had called him. 

"Are you heading for the entrance?" C.J. asked. 

"Yeah, I was leaving right now." His voice had changed. 

"Good. Everyone knows what's going on so just bring her though the bullpen. I will be waiting for you." C.J. said. 

"Alright." He said. "I'm gonna go now. I'll see you in a few minutes." 

"Right. Okay." It was clear from her voice that she was nervous. "See ya in a few." 

They hung up and Toby made is way to the entrance. Reaching the desk, he looked around to see if he could find Danny but they weren't here yet. He thought back to earlier in C.J.'s office, about the kisses and the words they shared. A relationship could work for them if they were professional and proper. That was not going to be a problem. Toby had always know that she would be able to separate herself from her work and private life. He had always been concerned that she and Danny would find a way to be together despite everything. It had always been a fear that he had taken out on her when they talked. He had heard about the kisses, Carol was as big a gossip as Sam had been. Standing at the entrance, he waited with his thoughts until they arrived. 


	3. Homecoming, The 3

 

**The Homecoming**

**by: Rebecca Caron**

**Character(s):** Toby, CJ, OFC  
**Pairing(s):** Toby/CJ  
**Category(s):** General , Romance  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Disclaimer:** The West Wing, related characters, and associated story lines are owned by the Aaron Sorkin, NBC, Warner Brothers, and other various affiliates.  
**Summary:** Twenty-two years after giving up their daughter, CJ and Toby find her and the love they had never forgotten. Will it work out when a reporter tries to spin the story?  
**Author's Note:** This story is the first in a series. I'm not sure how many parts will be in the series but stay tuned and you will find them here. And they will be finished. Oh and if anyone wants to beta for the series, please contact me. I don't think there are any major spoilers. This series starts after the episode where Bartlet suffered an MS attack in season six. 

Danny Concannon pulled his car off of Pennsylvania and waited to give his name to the guard. They were let through right away; he assumed C.J. had something to do with that. Getting out of the car, he made sure that Sara was alright. She had been shaking during their drive from his apartment. He took her arm and led her to the door that what give them entrance to the West Wing. There was a small line at the desk and Danny lead Sara to the end of the line. He didn't see Toby walking over to them and was surprised to hear his voice. 

"Hello." He said from next to Sara. Toby had seen them come in but he had taken the chance to look at Sara. She really was his daughter, he could tell just by looking at her. 

"Hey Toby." Danny said as he turned to look at Sara. 

Toby and Sara couldn't stop looking at each other, the thoughts running through their heads reflected on their faces. Danny could see the resemblance right away. In the almost ten years since he had taken custody of Sara, he wondered if she would ever have this moment, the chance to meet her birthparents. Never had he thought that it would interweave with his own life so much. 

"Hello Sara." Toby said softly. "I…" 

"I know." Sara said and it was all that was needed. 

"Why don't we head to C.J.'s office?" Danny said. 

"Yeah." Toby and Sara said together. 

Toby moved towards the hall, Sara and Danny close behind. Walking though the Communications bullpen and the Staff bullpen, Danny waved to people he knew. Josh was out by Donna's desk and he paused to wave at them both. Josh gave him thumbs up before going back to Donna. Once they reached C.J.'s office, Danny said high to Margaret. 

"Hey Margaret." He said. 

"Hey Danny." She said before turning to Toby. "She got a phone call. Should only be a few minutes." 

"Thanks." Toby said. 

"How is Leo doing?" Danny asked. 

"Better." Margaret said. "He had lunch with C.J. two weeks ago here and he finally had gotten his appetite back. Otherwise he is doing what they tell him." 

"That's good to hear." Danny said as the door opened. 

""Margaret, can you call Donna and have her schedule a meeting for Josh with the Majority Leaders office? After that, take your lunch." C.J. said, not looking at others. 

"Thanks C.J. I'll make the call now." Margaret said picking up the phone. 

Finally C.J. turned the assembled group and immediately focused on Sara. She found her own eyes looking back at her. Before her was a young woman, a stark change from the baby she had held the last time they had been together. Now, Sara had grown into a beautiful young lady. C.J. hadn't been able to tell from the picture but Sara was a little shorter then Toby with long legs that were clearly seen in the black pants she wore. Her pink top was a sweater with a striped collar shirt. She was a full figured young woman with the same stance as Toby. 

"Hello." C.J. finally said. 

"Hello." Sara replied, clearly feeling the same as C.J. 

Later, they would never know who moved first, but in the end, Mother and Daughter hugged for the first time with tears in their eyes. Toby was next as he took his oldest daughter into his arms for the first time in twenty-two years. It felt good to both of them to be together again. Danny watched with a smile on his face, happy for Sara and worried at the same time. They had a lot to figure out. 

"Why don't we go into your office, C.J.?" Danny said gently. 

"Yeah." She said as Toby released Sara. 

Sara led the way into the office and Danny noticed the hand that Toby placed on C.J.'s back as they walked. It was a gesture of support but Danny couldn't help thinking there was more to it. They sat at the table that was already set with four places. The food was covered and a bottle of champagne sat on the table. Sara sat between Toby and C.J. with Danny across from her. They removed the covers and were waiting for the glasses to be filled before starting to eat. 

"So… Sara." Toby started. "You go to Georgetown?" 

"Yes, I started my graduate program last year." Sara said as she started on her salad. 

"Do you like it?" C.J. asked. 

"I love it." Sara said. "And I'm enjoying my job at the Minority Council's office. I have been learning a lot." 

"So… I guess you want some answers about what is going on uh?" C.J. asked. 

"Yeah, you could say that." Sara said. 

"When you requested your adoption records, someone in the office recognized mine and Toby's names. They leaked the file to the press who are now trying to paint a picture of inappropriate behavior between us." C.J. said. 

"Wow... that just goes to show how twisted the press can be." Sara said. "No offense Uncle Danny." 

"None taken." Danny said with a smile. 

"What can we do to prevent a bad picture?" Sara asked. 

"A press coming out for you and a full disclosure of our relationship." Toby said. "The reporter who has it wants an exclusive with us." 

"I think that we should do it." Sara said. "It will get the story out there. The faster we do this the faster it goes away. Not to mention that it will get old fast since no one has done anything wrong." 

"You sounded like your mother just then." Toby said quietly. 

"Good to know." Sara said with a smile. "In the mean time I have some questions of my own that I am willing to bet will come out in the interview. Mind if I…..?" 

"No, not at all." C.J. said. 

"Well, the first is why did you give me up?" Sara asked, her voice full of tears. 

"I had just finished college and was getting involved with campaigns and the real world. I didn't expect to pregnant." C.J. continued. "I knew that I wouldn't be able to give you want I wanted. Toby did over to marry me but I didn't think it was a good idea." 

"Why?" Sara asked. 

"We were both young and trying to get our careers going. I didn't think that we could give you what you needed in the way of a family." C.J. said. 

"I can understand that." Sara said. "How did you two meet?" 

"During a campaign." Toby said. "She was brought in to help with numbers. It didn't make a big difference and we still lost but it gave us almost six months together. When the election was over, she went to California and called me a few weeks later to tell me she was pregnant." 

"Toby came out about a week before you were born and was there with me through it all." C.J. paused. "Did you even get the necklace?" 

"You mean this one?" Sara pulled the owl out from under her shirt. "I got it when I was ten. I asked about my birthparents and got this. I read the letter too. I was happy to have a piece of you both for my own." 

"I remember when I bought that for you." Toby said. "You couldn't stop talking about it so when you weren't looking I went and got it to surprise you and it was so much fun to watch your face." 

"You really did surprise me when you said 'Happy Anniversary'." C.J. said. 

"It was your anniversary?" Sara asked. 

"Yes, five months." Toby said. 

"Cool." Sara said. "Anything you want to know about me?" 

"Can we have a review of your life story?" C.J. asked. 

"Yeah." Sara took a drink of water. "We lived in California until I was seven and then Jimmy was transferred to the Chicago office. We lived in Elmhurst, a posh suburb and I went to public school there until Jimmy and Christy died. I was at the house when the police came and they had thought that I had a baby-sitter. Instead Uncle Danny took the first plane out. The rest of the family arrived and things were taken care of until it came time to figure out what to do with me. 

"The rest of the family were snobs and thought that since I wasn't really a relative I should go to foster care. Uncle Danny was the only one who thought I should still have a real family. It got worse when we found their will and there was nothing about who got me if something happened to them. I was thirteen. The will had been updated three years before so they must not have cared enough. I stopped calling them Mom and Dad that day. 

"I moved in with Uncle Danny and the family gradually came around. I still don't like them but then again we are the outcasts of the family. We do our thing at the holidays but I still see them." Sara paused for another drink of water before continuing. "I decided to go to school in Springfield because I liked the area and I could get involved. After I graduated I talked to Uncle Danny and he, of course, said I could move back. I started at Georgetown last year. 

"I don't have a boyfriend; I am close with a group of girls here that we call the Sisterhood. We tend to go out as a group and have fun. I work, basically, when I don't have class or need to study unless I need a break. I visit Springfield when I can to see friends, otherwise I am here. That's about it." Sara finished and took another drink of water before digging back into her salad. 

"Wow, that was…" Toby said, his voice trailing. 

"Like a speech?" Sara asked with a smile. "Everyone says I do that all the time." 

"Well, I have to admit that I am mad. I had thought that James and Christy would have a good family base. I really don't know what… I can't believe that they treated you like." C.J. said. 

"I felt the same way, C.J. I thought that my family would have dealt with the situation differently but I learned after that it is not an uncommon thought by families in the same situation." Danny said. "That was part of the reason I took Sara home with me. The other is because I kinda like the kid." 

"Thanks Uncle Danny." Sara said with sarcasm. 

"Anytime kiddo." Danny replied with a smile. 

"What about the family now?" Toby asked. 

"We see them once or twice a year, otherwise we don't get together. They don't approve of me since I am not a 'real' relative." Sara said. 

"And I am not doing a worth enough job." Added Danny. "So we see them at Christmas, if we make it, and maybe at the family reunion. They basically think of Sara as my kid so they have kind of warmed up to the idea of her without James and Christy." 

"At first, it was hard to deal with it but I got over it. It was like I lost my whole family except Uncle Danny. He is the only one I think of as family anymore." Sara said. "They are just people that we have to get along with." 

"And you are okay with that?" Toby asked. 

"Yeah, I am now." Sara assured him. 

"Besides, she has more family right here. And wait to you meet the rest of the gang here. I should warn you about Josh." C.J. said. 

"I have heard of the pit bull. Though I must warn you, a lot of his fan club goes to my school. I might need Secret Service protection from them." Sara said with a laugh. "And I would love to be a part of your family." 

They ate and talked. It was clear that this was the best thing that could happen to Sara, finding a new family to add to the only person she had been able to count on since the people she had thought of as parents died. They discussed the interview and decided to try and set it up for the next day, it was Saturday and it would make the Sunday papers followed by a press conference on Monday. Sara and Danny were getting ready to go when C.J. stopped them. 

"Oh, and Sara?" 

"Yeah?" Sara asked. 

"Just so that you know, I am dating your father." C.J. said and Toby nodded. 

"Well, that is kinda funny uh?" Sara said. "Oh and do you think that….well, I don't call Jimmy and Christy Mom and Dad anymore, there don't seem to have ever been my parents and I decided a long time ago that I would call my birthparents Mom and Dad if they were comfortable with it." 

"I would like that." Toby said. 

"So would I." C.J. said. 

They all hugged, Danny giving them the space they needed. They had exchanged numbers and C.J. was going to call Sara when she had the interview set up. It would probably be at the White House and it would give her the chance to be introduced around so that if the staff was questioned, they would know what was going on. C.J. and Toby stood hand in hand and watched Sara walk out of the room, but for once not out of their lives. 

Toby was sitting in his office, trying to think about what he was going to do. He knew that he should call Andy; this was not something she deserved to read about in the papers. He also wanted Sara to know Huck and Molly, she was their sister. He finally picked up the phone and called her office, hoping that she was out. There was no luck today, Andy answered the phone herself. 

"Andrea Wyatt." 

"Hello Andy." Toby said. 

"Well, to what do I owe this?" Andy asked. "It can't be about the kids since you get them tomorrow. What's going on?" 

"I have something that I need to tell you and you need to give me the chance to say it before you speak. Okay?" Toby said. 

"Alright, whatever it is, it can't be THAT bad." 

"A little over twenty years ago I was involved with C.J. I know that you suspected that something was had happened or was going on between us, but it was over than." Toby paused. "We ended our relationship after the campaign we were working on was over. About a month later, C.J. called me and told me she was pregnant. She had a baby girl later that summer and gave her up for adoption. She found us today because someone leaked her records and decided to cause problems with the White House. We are having a 'coming out' so to speak for her." He paused again for her reaction. 

"Are you done?" Andy asked. 

"Yeah." Was all he said and it was all he could have gotten in. 

"Toby! I can't believe you never told me this. I mean, even when we were married!" Andy was clearly upset. "I mean… God Toby. This is a big thing." 

"I know, and I apologize for not telling you before. It was hard to deal with it. It hurt for a long time." He said. "I want you to meet her; I want her to know Huck and Molly." 

"I would like that." Andy said. "I'm sorry Toby. I didn't mean to snap, it's just that I figured you and C.J. had history but that is more than I thought it would be and I was kinda of thrown for a loop." 

"I know, but I didn't want you to read it in the paper on Sunday." 

"Then the article is coming out on Sunday?" Andy asked. 

"Yeah." He paused. "Do you think that you could come by tomorrow around ten? You can bring the kids here and you can meet Sara." 

"I'll be there." Andy said and hung up. 

"You never told Andy?" C.J. asked from the door. 

"No, it was too hard." He said. "What are you doing here?" 

"Well, the day is over. Nothing has happened and we have our pagers and cell phones. I thought that we could have dinner?" C.J. asked. 

"I would like that very much." Toby said. "Where do you want to go?" 

"I was thinking that we could have dinner at my place? I could some Italian, crack open a bottle of wine." C.J. said. 

"Are you sure?" Toby asked. He knew that they had only, just hours ago, decided to pursue a relationship. He didn't want to rush her, as much as he wanted her, he could wait. 

"Toby, we've been dancing around this for a while now. Let's not waste any more time, uh?" C.J. said matter-a-factily. 

"Okay." Was all he said as he followed her out. 

They called ahead to a place by her house and got dinner for two to take back to her apartment. Once there, they settled onto the couch in front of the TV, instinct telling them to turn on the news. They ate in silence after C.J brought in the wine. It was a comfortable silence and with glances at each other when they thought the other was not looking, it took a while before old habits died and their eyes looked. By then the food was gone. 

"C.J….." He whispered gently as he leaned towards her. 

Their lips, gently at first, encouraging memories of kisses shared helping them remember. Toby pulled her to him and she became the aggressor as she straddled him on the couch, her skirt riding up her thighs. His hands greedily explored the flesh as it was uncovered. She could feel his growing arousal through her silk panties just as he could feel her heat against him. His hands moved up her body, stopping at the buttons of her blouse. 

Toby pulled out of the kiss and looked in her eyes for a sign to continue. She nodded before capturing his lips again. The buttons came undone slowly as he savored the flesh he slowly uncovered, first her lace bra, then her smooth stomach. His hands grazed over her nipples through the lace of her white bra while she pushed the blouse off her shoulder. When his hands reached around her, she thought he was going for the clasp of her bra. Instead he found the zipper to her skirt. Indicating that she should stand, he watched as it fell down her long legs. Stepping out of her shoes and the skirt pooled at her feet, she grabbed his hands and pulled him to stand. 

His suit jacket went first, joining her skirt and blouse on the floor, followed by his tie, and shirt. C.J. took the time to explore him as her hands found the buckle on his belt. The buckle came undone easy and she undid his pants, letting her hand graze his growing erection. Mirroring her actions, Toby stepped out of his pants and shoes. He pulled her back to him and captured her lips, pressing his hips into hers. She moaned at the contact against her and was awarded with a rare smile from him. 

Memories of their last night together before she had moved to California flooded him mind and he remembered a sensitive spot on her neck. She caved to him immediately, taking his hand and leading him to the bedroom. She wanted him in her bed; she wanted to feel him against her and inside her. He followed her, his arms around her waist with lips on her neck. When they reached the bed he turned her around in his arms and gently pushed her down. C.J. moved to the center of the bed and waited for him to join her. 

Toby didn't wait long as he moved over her and pressed himself into her again. The bedroom was dark, she didn't turn a light and he hadn't ask so he couldn't see her face but could hear her take gasp and take a deep breath. Moving next to her, he took her lips again and used his hands to explore her body with just his touch, not caring that he couldn't see. She was still beautiful in his eyes and nothing could change that, not even twenty-two years. He sat up, pulling her up with him. When his hands went around her this time, he found the clasp of her bra and quickly undid it with skill she had forgotten he had. 

"You are so beautiful Claudia Jean, so perfect." He whispered in her hair while his hands found her breast. 

"Toby…." She moaned his name as he shifted to take a nipple into his mouth while one hand found another, rolling it between his thumb and finger. His other hand moved under her silk panties, two fingers slipping inside her as his thumb occasionally brushed against her clit. 

His explorations encouraged her own of his body. When he switched to the other breast after making the first hard and sensitive, she took the opportunity and grasped him through his cotton boxers. She was rewarded with a moan and took that as a sign to move forward. Reaching inside, she took him into her hands, remembering the movements that drove him crazy. C.J. could feel him growing in her hand. It felt wonderful to touch him. Since their kisses that morning she had wanted, had need to touch him. Now that she was, it was like no time had based since their last coupling. 

"C.J., if you keep that up…." He said. 

"Then you had better get naked, and fast. 

Toby jumped off the bed and pulled his boxers down, kicking them away while watching her remove her panties. Moving back to the bed he moved up so that he fell between her legs. He knew she was ready. When he had touched her he had been surprised. She was as ready for this as him. 

"Do we…?" He asked. He didn't know if they needed anything. The idea of her once again carrying his child thrilled him but he didn't want to push her into anything that she wasn't ready for. They were both older now, maybe too old to have a baby. The twins were five and Toby still felt out of touch with them some times. 

"I don't want anything between us. And besides, I'm on the pill." C.J. paused. "I know what you are thinking. Sara was a pill baby. I don't care if it happens. I want you and everything that comes with you…. And me." 

Moving to her entrance, he pushed into her slowly, gradually filling her. The sensation caused them both to gasp. It felt so good, being this intimate again. He waited a few seconds, savoring the moment, before starting to move inside her. He pulled almost all the way before slamming into her; know that that movement drove her crazy. Her loud moan made him repeat and before he knew it they had gone into frenzy, the need for completion overruling their previous slow and graceful movements. 

Toby could tell that C.J. was getting close when her movements became erratic and within no time her body began to spasm around him, pulling his orgasm out of him. The rush hit them both as their bodies released all they had been holding in. When their bodies had quit pulsing, he moved next to her and pulled her into his arms. C.J. rested her head on his chest, his heart still racing a little. It matched her own; she could still feel it in her chest. 

"I have to say this… I love you Claudia Jean. I never stopped loving you, ever." 

"Toby…. I know what you mean." She said smiling. "I love you too. Please tell me you will stay the night?" 

"Of course." Toby replied, kissing her hair. "I'm not going anywhere." 

They lay together for awhile before sleep finally came over them. For the first time in a long time, they slept soundly. It had always been that way when they were together. It had been a day to remember. Their daughter had found them and, in the process, they had found each other again. So much had happened… But neither one would change a thing. 


	4. Homecoming, The 4

 

**The Homecoming**

**by: Rebecca Caron**

**Character(s):** Toby, CJ, OFC  
**Pairing(s):** Toby/CJ  
**Category(s):** General , Romance  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Disclaimer:** The West Wing, related characters, and associated story lines are owned by the Aaron Sorkin, NBC, Warner Brothers, and other various affiliates.  
**Summary:** Twenty-two years after giving up their daughter, CJ and Toby find her and the love they had never forgotten. Will it work out when a reporter tries to spin the story?  
**Author's Note:** This story is the first in a series. I'm not sure how many parts will be in the series but stay tuned and you will find them here. And they will be finished. Oh and if anyone wants to beta for the series, please contact me. I don't think there are any major spoilers. This series starts after the episode where Bartlet suffered an MS attack in season six. 

In the morning, Toby woke to the sun shining through the blinds and C.J. Cregg in his arms. It couldn't have been more perfect if he had planned it. They showered together and ended up making love with him sitting on the shower's seat and her riding him, her moans vibrating off the tile. When he emerged from the kitchen, he found that C.J. had made breakfast: eggs, toast, and coffee, all just the way he liked it. Greeting her at the table with a kiss, he had to sneak through the newspaper she held up in front of her. Toby was wearing fresh clothes from the bag he kept in his car and looked fresh and relaxed. It was while they were eating that something finally came to C.J. 

"I just realized something." C.J. said. 

"And what's that?" Toby asked as he put down the sports section of the paper. 

"We have our daughter back. She is calling us Mom and Dad." C.J. said in amazement. 

"At least we got to skip the teenager years." Toby pointed out. 

"I wouldn't have minded though. We'll have to ask Danny about it." C.J. noticed his face at the mention of Danny. "Besides, Molly will be a teenager before you know it. Sara would have been good practice." 

"Do you regret giving her up?" Toby asked quietly as he looked into her eyes. 

"I thought that I was giving her a better life." C.J. said. "Look how that turned out for her." 

"If I had known what would happen, I would never have let her go." Toby said. 

"I feel the same way." She assured him. "I never thought that they would treat her like that, not in a million years." 

"Danny really saved her life uh?" Toby said without any admiration to the subject. C.J. wasn't surprised at all. 

"I want to tell you some things so that we can get them out in the open, alright?" C.J. asked trying to sound calm. 

"I'm assuming this is about Danny?" He countered. This was the one conversation he had been waiting and dreading. He wanted, needed to know what had happened between them. She knew everything about his marriage and the little success he had had with women since then. It was as good as her own track record. "Go ahead." 

"First of all, I want you to know that I never slept with him." C.J. assured him. "We kissed a few times, had dinner once. I told him it was a business dinner but it was a date. Otherwise, I never let anything happen because of our jobs. It never would have worked out anyway, I am sure of it." 

Toby stood up from the table and walked over to her. He kneeled in from of her trying to get her to look up. She had dropped her chin to her chest after she had finished. Taking her chin into his hand, he lifted her face so that there eyes meet. Toby wanted to reassure her that none of it mattered right now. Andy, Danny, and all the people in between didn't change his feelings for her. There were tears in her eyes that spilled as she meet his eyes. He brushed them away with his thumbs as he brought his lips to meet hers in a gentle kiss. 

"I love you." He whispered, a hand in her hair. 

"I love you too." She replied and she kissed him again, encouraging him. 

"We have to get ready to go. The interview is today and we said that Sara could meet the gang today before the reporter arrived and Andy is bringing the twins and staying to meet Sara." Toby said as he pulled out of the kiss. "And if we don't stop, I'm not going to be able to get through the day without ravishing you at some point." 

C.J. laughed as she started clearing the table, Toby following close behind. They cleaned up the dishes and the kitchen before grabbing newspapers, files, and everything else they would need for the day, they headed out of her building. They had driven over separate so they parted with a kiss. The drive to the White House was not long. He waited for her at the entrance so they could walk in together. Hands clasped, they got some weird looks from the staff and didn't notice when everyone stood. 

"Well, I think that you figured out a few things last night." Said the President from behind them. 

They turned to find the President, Abbey, Leo, and the rest of the staff looking at them with smiles. It was clear they were happy for the couple from the look on their faces and the support of the President would really help when the story got out. Toby squeezed C.J.'s hand and pulled her closer to him as he looked the President in the eyes. 

"I would say so, sir." Toby said. "Unless I am holding Leo's hand, but wait, he is over there." Everyone laughed. 

"You never know. I move fast for an old man." Leo said with a smile. 

"Alright everyone get back to work." C.J. said. 

"MOM!" A voice called. "DAD!" Sara had arrived. 

"Sara!" C.J. called and dropped Toby's hand to hug her daughter. "I see you made it." 

"And I had to bring Uncle Danny, he made me." Sara said as she switched to hug Toby. "Hey Dad." 

"Hey sweetie." Toby said. "How was your night?" 

"I hope you both don't mind but I talked to my friends so they don't freak out about the article." Sara said as someone cleared their throat behind her. 

"Oh, I'm sorry." C.J. said. "You'll eventually meet everyone but someone has been waiting to meet you." 

Sara turned and her jaw dropped. Before her stood the President and First Lady. They had not moved when C.J. had ordered the staff back to work. In casual clothes, it was almost hard to believe that they stood before her. C.J. smiled at Sara's reaction as the President approached and extended his hand. 

"Jed Bartlet, nice to meet you." 

"It's an honor to meet you, sir." Sara said shaking his hand. Abbey was next. 

"Abbey Bartlet." 

"I've been at some of your speeches ma'am. A lot of us from Georgetown think that you have done a lot to help some many important issues." Sara said. 

"I can see she inherited something from Toby." Abbey said as she winked at him. 

"C.J.," Margaret said coming up behind her. "The reporter is here." 

"Show him to the Mural Room. We'll be there soon." Margaret nodded and was off. 

"I'm gonna go lay some ground rules with this guy. Don't keep him long though. Or do just for fun." Danny said. C.J. and Toby both nodded. 

What Danny didn't tell them was that he needed to get away. Learning that the woman he still loved was the mother of the little girl he thought of as his own was hard to get. Added to the fact that Toby Ziegler was her father, it hurt to think that he had gotten the chance that Danny always wanted to be with her. He had been fine at lunch yesterday until Toby had told Sara that he and C.J were dating. During the campaign and the earlier years of the Bartlet administration he had heard rumors that Andrea Wyatt suspected that Toby was having an affair with C.J. Cregg. Danny had never believed it. Until now. 

"Toby, Andy is here." Ginger called from her desk as Andy walked with one of the twins on each hand toward the group. 

"Hi." Toby said as he moved beside C.J. again and took her hand. If Andy noticed she didn't say anything. 

"Andrea Wyatt." She said simply. 

"Sara Concannon." 

The two were clearly sizing each other up. When they had talked yesterday, Toby had told Sara about Andy and the twins without going into much detail. Sara had, of course, heard about them from Danny so she didn't really have any questions about the situation. She had noticed it was sore topic with her father. It wasn't until Toby pointed it out that Sara realized she was Huck and Molly's sister. After that, she had been excited about meeting them. She still wasn't sure about Andy but if her dad had married her, she couldn't be half bad. 

"And this is Molly and Huck." Andy said indicating the twins with her head. Sara knelt down so she was on a closer level to the two year old twins. 

"Hi." Sara said to them in amazement. She had always wanted siblings and this was fine with her. 

"Aw you weally ouw big sistow?" Huck asked in his own two-year old way. Sara glanced up at Andy while Toby looked at Andy, wondering too. 

"I told them that their big sister was back from seeing her other family." Andy said with a smile at the twins. "I said that you had two families and it was time to visit the other one now that you have found them." 

"Good." Sara said to Andy before turning to Huck and Molly. "Yeah, I am your sister." 

Molly grabbed Sara's shirt so she could get a better look at her. "Cool." She said and before Sara knew what had happened both Huck and Molly had launched themselves into her arms, knocking her on the floor. 

Everyone was laughing as Sara managed to get up with a kid on each hip. Turning, she saw her Dad smiling. His children were together again. All of them in the same place. For the first time. Everyone noticed the similarities between Molly and Sara, they could easily be related. Huck had the same stance as Sara and it looked adorable to watch him with her. No one noticed the arrival of one more until the camera flashed. 

"Zoey!" The President called. "Come on over." 

Zoey had heard from her father about what was going on and he had asked that she meet Sara and share some tips. The girls now had a lot in common and hopefully would get along. Zoey had been excited and surprised to hear what was going on in the West Wing. Moving towards Sara, Zoey held out her hand. 

"I remember seeing you on campus." Zoey said. 

"Yeah…" Sara said. 

"After the interview, come up to the residence. We can chat and I'll have a copy of the picture." Zoey said. "It's a digital camera." 

"Hey Zoey, think you could take one of me with girlfriend and daughter?" Toby asked from behind her. 

"Yeah!" she replied. "Move over there." She indicated an area without windows or too much light. 

Sara put the twins down and moved to stand in between her mother and father. They looked like a family and everyone smiled as Zoey snapped the picture. Then she went crazy and insisted that Josh and Donna pose for a picture, pulled Toby into one with his staff, Josh with his staff, and got one with her parents and the staff. After a few more pictures, Toby glanced at C.J. who nodded. 

"Let's get this over with." She said to Sara. 

They walked to the Mural Room and found Danny talking to Carson LeRoy, the reporter from the New York Times that had gotten the story. He was young, not much older than Donna. He wore a suit and tie that complimented his tan skin. Brown hair and eyes didn't seem threatening. When the three entered, Danny turned to see how Sara was, which didn't go unnoticed by C.J. and Toby. They introduced themselves around and sat to get the interview started. James pulled out a notebook and tape recorder. 

"I hope you don't mind, but just in case I would like to record this if possible." C.J. nodded. "I would also like to say that my editor is the one who got the story and handed it to me. I didn't want to do anything about it but my hand was forced. I'm just happy that this has at least something positive coming out of it." 

"I can understand that." C.J. said. "Ben Williams is one of the guys that fights with everything he can get." 

"So, I'm going to just ask you all some questions and then we'll be done before you know it." And the interview began. 

It wasn't as bad as Sara thought it would be. The questions he asked were expected and Uncle Danny had worked with her the night before to make sure that she was going to be comfortable with the questions as they were asked. He used a copy of the file that C.J. had given him before leaving. She had wanted Sara to see it. The interview went well, there were no objections to the questions and everyone left satisfied. 

After the interview, Toby invited Andy to join them for lunch as he had planned to take C.J., Sara, and the twins out. He thought it would be a good time to let Andy and Sara get to know each other. He wanted Andy to feel comfortable with Sara coming around and being around the twins. Sara called Zoey, who understood and asked if Sara wanted to come for dinner at the White House. Of course her parents were invited and the twins would be well taken care of. They readily agreed. Lunch was perfect, and for the first time in a long time Toby looked at C.J. and leaned over to whisper in her ear. 

"This is perfect, the way it should be." 

"I couldn't agree more." C.J. said. "I love you." 

"I love you too." He replied as he took her hand under the table and looked to were Sara was helping Molly with something while talking shop with Andy. 


	5. Homecoming, The 5

 

**The Homecoming**

**by: Rebecca Caron**

**Character(s):** Toby, CJ, OFC  
**Pairing(s):** Toby/CJ  
**Category(s):** General , Romance  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Disclaimer:** The West Wing, related characters, and associated story lines are owned by the Aaron Sorkin, NBC, Warner Brothers, and other various affiliates.  
**Summary:** Twenty-two years after giving up their daughter, CJ and Toby find her and the love they had never forgotten. Will it work out when a reporter tries to spin the story?  
**Author's Note:** This story is the first in a series. I'm not sure how many parts will be in the series but stay tuned and you will find them here. And they will be finished. Oh and if anyone wants to beta for the series, please contact me. I don't think there are any major spoilers. This series starts after the episode where Bartlet suffered an MS attack in season six. 

Dinner at the White House had been great. Sara had amazed the President with her knowledge of unless facts that seemed to rival his own. He was impressed with her knowledge and teased her. He also interested to learn that her adoptive father had MS. It was hard for the adults to get their daughters' attentions though because they seemed to be talking quietly to each other. No one was sure what was going on. Molly and Huck had been asleep before desert was served so Sara and Zoey escaped quietly without notice and headed for her room in the White House. They had taken a bottle of wine, some glasses, and some of the cheesecake that was desert. 

"So, Toby and C.J. uh?" Zoey asked as they sat on the couch in the sitting area. 

"Yeah." Sara said. "I know things are going to change after the interview gets out tomorrow and the press conference on Monday." 

"I know the feeling." Zoey said. "They made a big deal about my birthday this last year because of a magic trick. The press are killers. At that same time you have your birthparents in your life." 

"Better then my adoptive parents. They were…." Sara couldn't finish. 

"You can tell me." Zoey said reassuringly. 

"My adoptive parents spent more time with their careers then with me when I was growing up. I saw Christy more than I saw James but it didn't really matter. I had a nanny until I was old enough to care for myself." Sara paused. "When they died they left me everything, except with a family. I don't know if they thought someone would jump in and want to take care of me or what but the only one who didn't think I should be put in foster care was my Uncle Danny." 

"Wow, sounds like it sucked." Zoey said. "Do C.J. and Toby know?" 

"OH YEAH! They were so upset. I thought that the vine on Dad's forehead was going to pop." 

"You call them Mom and Dad already?" Zoey asked. 

"Well… after James and Christy died and the family turned against me, the only one who kept the title was Uncle Danny. I call them all by their first names now, enough my grandparents." She said. "I wanted to keep those titles for people who deserved it. Even after a little time with them, I wanted to call them Mom and Dad. They said it was alright with them." 

The two continued talking, Zoey telling stories about being ambushed by reporters, friends, MS, and when the topic turned to boys, it was like they were old friends. Sara had started teasing Zoey about Charlie when she started in on this one guy at school who was known to be a player. He had tried to go after Sara but she had done everything to rebuff him which meant the player got mad. They were laughing so hard that tears were coming out of their eyes. And that was how their parents found them. 

"Um, ladies, how much have you had tonight?" Abbey asked from the door. 

"Just the one glass at dinner and then the bottle here while we were talking." Zoey said. 

"So we're tipsy but not drunk." Sara added. 

"Well, your mother and I are leaving." Toby said. 

"Alright." Sara said. 

"Sara, if you want to stay, I can have someone drive you home or you can spend the night." The President said. 

"Stay, we can go harass Charlie and Josh." Zoey said. 

"If I call my uncle, can you have someone pick up a bag?" Sara asked. "I would love to spend the night, if that's still okay?" 

"Of course." Abbey said. "I'll even help you harass Charlie and Josh." 

"The press conference is at ten, be ready by nine-thirty and meet me in my office." C.J. said as Sara got up. 

"Good Night Mom." She said as she kissed C.J.'s cheek. Next she went to her dad. "Night Dad." She kissed his cheek and the said goodnight to Molly and Huck who were still asleep. "I'll be there, Mom." 

Sara and Zoey went to harass Charlie and Josh while her bag came. It was funny to watch Josh around Donna. Zoey had warned Sara about them and it was amazing to think that they needed to do something about this thing with them soon. Abbey turned into Mom Mode and teased him about getting married while Zoey and Sara thought of dating services, people they could set him up with, and even thought of some things they could do to make him more attractive. Donna joined Zoey and Sara when Josh went home for the night and the three joked around and had some more wine before Donna headed home and the younger women went to bed. 

Toby and C.J. had headed home after making sure that their daughter would be alright. They chose to stay at Toby's house to make the twins more comfortable. That night, after the twins were in bed, they held each other for a long time as they talked about having Sara back in their lives and what their hopes and dreams were for the future. They also talked about their relationship and decided to let it evolve on it's own. They fell into a sound sleep in each other's arms until morning when they dressed and headed to the office with the twins. They kissed in front of her office and Toby headed to his with twins and their bag of toys. On their desks was the paper with the article. They quickly sat down to read it. 

That morning Sara found the New York Times and coffee in her room when she woke and she found what she had been looking for on the front page: A teaser to the article about her, her parents, and their story. She found the article and quickly read it while sipping her coffee. The article was great and actually surprisingly worded: 

White House Staffers Welcome Home Their Daughter 

By Carson LeRoy 

The private lives of White House Senior Staff have always been off-limits and off the record: Until now. Recent events have brought attention to new appointed Chief of Staff C.J. Cregg and White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler. There has always been speculation, and the two admit to a previous relationship but, until now, the details have not been important. 

This past week the pair was reunited with the daughter they gave up for adoption more then twenty years ago. Sara Concannon, a current Georgetown Graduate student and staffer in the House Minority Leader's office, meet her birthparents for the first time over lunch at the White House this past Friday. Also present was Sara's guardian, White House Press Correspondent Danny Concannon. 

C.J. chose to give Sara up at the point her career was just starting and felt she could not devote Sara the attention she deserved. It was a hard decision but C.J. thought that she was doing the right thing. Three day old Sara was adopted by James and Christy Concannon, a lawyer and teacher respectively. The couple was killed in a car accident when Sara was just thirteen. After much family debate, Danny Concannon, Sara's godfather, took custody of Sara and moved her to Washington, D.C. 

Despite everything that has happened in her life, Sara has done well for herself. A National Merit Scholar just like her mother, she attended the University of Illinois at Springfield, majoring in Political Science and working for the State Senate as a clerk. After graduation, she chose to return to D.C. and attend Georgetown to earn her Masters in Political Science. 

"My Uncle Danny taught me a lot about politics from his work at the White House. I was inspired." Sara says of her political interests. "I don't know where it will take me but I'm sure it will be an interesting ride." 

Last month, when Sara requested her adoption records, she never thought that meeting her parents would be such an event. They have not disappointed her and she understands the reasons being the adoption. The new few months are greatly being anticipated from both sides as they continue to get to know each other. For now, many changes have happened in all their lives; moments are happening that they have been waiting for. C.J. and Toby have even admitted to currently being in a relationship, encouraged by the return of their daughter. 

Many have commented about the relationship, mostly saying they had been waiting for this. And while the White House does not normally comment on the private lives of the staff, it should be known that the President was the first to whish the couple luck. They have also respectfully requested that following today's press conference, Sara not be bothered, but all involved will be available for questions tomorrow. 

Sara finished the article happy and relieved. The reporter had done a wonderful job and must have talked to Uncle Danny while about more then just warnings. The article didn't say anything about the problems that they had with his family, as Sara liked to call them, nor did it go into a lot of detail about things in their lives. The fact that she had been somewhat of a pusher in her parent's newly rekindled relationship was also kind of cool She dressed in business suit that Uncle Danny and she had bought the week before while out shopping for Christmas presents. It was a vertical navy and white pinstripe that she had paired with a light blue blouse. She kept her make-up and hair simple. Checking herself one more time she headed to her mother's office thinking they might be able to have breakfast together alone. 

When she arrived, Margaret was already at her desk. She had not met her yet and was concerned that there might be a problem. Mom had given Margaret Saturday of so she could visit with her sister who was sick. They hadn't been introduced Friday and she wasn't sure if her Mom would say anything to her. She checked her pocket to make sure that she had a copy of the picture Zoey had taken the day before of the three of them. She wanted to give her a copy. 

"You must be Sara." Margaret said looking up at her. "C.J. said to send you right in." 

"Thank you." Sara said followed Margaret as she knocked on the door. 

"C.J., Sara's here." Margaret said and Sara walked into the room at hearing her mother calling for her to come in. "You really do look like Toby, Sara. But you have your mother's eyes. She seemed to be in awe. 

"Thank you Margaret." C.J. said, indicating the door. Margaret left, closing the door behind her. "Did you and Zoey have fun last night?" 

"Yeah, but another bottle of wine with Abbey and we would have been signing Josh up for dating services to make his mother happy!" Sara said with a laugh. 

"Yeah? That would have been good. I can just see Donna now." Sara looked at her puzzled. "Josh calls the guys Donna sees 'gomers' and Donna calls Josh's fan club 'bus station skanks'." 

The two broke out into laughs again. It took a moment for them to calm down and that was when Sara remembered the picture. She pulled it out of her pocket and set it on her mother's desk. C.J. picked it up and looked at it for a few moments before looking up at Sara with tears in her eyes. She and Zoey had pulled all the pictures up on Zoey's laptop to edit them and had cropped this one so that you could see the subjects better. 

"Thank you, and I'll have to thank Zoey. This is perfect." C.J. said. 

"You're Welcome Mom." Sara said with a big smile. "I have a copy for Dad. I'm assuming if you are here then he is?" 

"Yeah, he's playing with Molly and Huck in his office." C.J. said. "Go give it to him and you and I will have an all girl breakfast." 

"My thoughts exactly. I'll be right back." Sara left out the side door towards the bullpen. She stopped by to see Donna and tease Josh again before stopping in the doorway of her Dad's office. 

"Hey Dad." Sara said as she watched him coloring with Molly while Huck was building with LEGOS. 

"Not a word to anyway about what you are seeing here." Toby said. 

"I know, wouldn't want anyone to think you were going soft. Your reputation is well-earned." Sara said with a laugh. "But you might want to close the door before Bonnie and Ginger overload." 

"Yeah." Toby said. "Did you need something?" 

"No. I just wanted to give you this before the press conference today." She handed him a copy of the picture. He paused in his coloring to look at it. "Zoey and I made a copy for you and Mom last night." 

"Thank you Sara. I'll have to get a frame for this and put it on my desk." Toby got up and kissed her check. 

"Alright, I'm having a girly breakfast with Mom. We'll see you later." Molly tugged on her jacket. "Yes little princess?" 

"Color." She said. 

"I can't right now. Maybe later, after I'm done with work." Sara said. "Okay?" 

"Kay." Was all she said before she went back to coloring. 

Sara walked back down to her mother's office and was surprised to find Leo McGarry waiting. She knew who he was of course and what had happened to him. She suspected that things had happened between him and the president that were not being talked about. For a man who had required emergency surgery only two months ago, he looked good. His skin had color, his clothes were fitting better then they had before in pictures, and he looked relaxed. 

"Hello Sara." Leo said. 

"Hello Mr. McGarry." Sara said after thinking about what to call him. She figured this was the safest route. 

"Please, call me Leo." He said. "You meeting your mom?" 

"I was here earlier. We're suppose to have breakfast before the conference today but I had to see my Dad first." She replied. "I had copies of the pictures Zoey took last night. I thought he might like them." 

"Did you see your Dad?" C.J. asked as she stepped out of her office. 

"Yeah. He liked the pictures." Sara said with a smile. 

"Good." C.J. said. "Leo! What are you doing here?" 

"I wanted to be here in case." He said. "Toby told me about the article that started this all and I wanted to make sure the press knew how you got my job. And I'm having breakfast with the First Family. Abbey wants to make sure that I'm eating right." 

"I bet." C.J. said with a laugh. "Did you see the article this morning?" 

"Yeah," Leo said. "he handled that well." 

"It was exactly what I was hoping for." C.J. said. "Are you ready to go Sara?" 

"Yeah, where are we going?" She didn't see anything in the office. 

"The mess. They have a decent breakfast on Sundays." C.J. said. 

"Then let's go." 

They said good-bye to Leo as headed to the residence. Following her Mom, they got to the mess in just a few minutes. Stepping into line they found eggs, pancakes, a variety of bacon and sausage, and a selection of coffee. The two grabbed what looked good and found an empty table. The mess was about half full and they could hear each other easily over the conversations around them. C.J. reassured Sara about the press conference and expressed her approval at what she was wearing. They talked about C.J.'s family, who she had talked to last night and couldn't wait to meet her. They would all be coming for Christmas. 

"I should tell you though, that I celebrate both traditions." Sara said, taking a sip of her coffee. 

"Both traditions?' C.J. asked. 

"I go to Temple on Saturdays and Catholic Mass on the Holidays. I celebrate both sets of holidays and such." Sara explained. "James and Sara told me about your religious backgrounds and said that they would let me explore both. So I did." 

"Are you going to chose one or the other?" C.J. asked. 

"I've been trying to since I was thirteen but I still don't know. I mean I agree with things in both and at the same time disagree with things in both. It's… I don't know. Strange." 

"You should tell Toby. He would like to hear that." C.J. said. "You should know that I'm not very religious, my parents didn't really push it on to me and my brothers." 

"Really? It's a big thing in the Concannon family. That's part of the reason they don't like Uncle Danny that much. He doesn't go to church and they think he is a caveman." Sara said with a laugh. 

"Yeah, sure." C.J. paused. "Has Danny ever told you what happened between us?" 

"Not until we learned you were my mother. I had suspected something was going on. I mean, it was obvious he had a crush on you and all. I didn't know about the rest of it." Sara said. "But I do have to ask who kisses better!" 

"Toby." C.J. said without thinking and they burst into laughter. 

"What's so funny ladies?" Danny asked as he came over and joined them with his own cup of coffee. 

"Nothing!" They both said quickly which brought a quizzical look from Danny. 

"Well, the gang is almost here. And I understand that you are running this show?" 

"Yeah, Annabelle didn't feel comfortable doing this. I didn't think it would be a big deal. And since the article was perfect, they won't automatically go for the rough questions." C.J. was not nervous at all. 

"Then why don't we get this over with?" Sara asked. 

The three left the mess and headed for the hallway of the West Wing that was outside the press room. Toby was already waiting when they got there, barking orders at Carol and Annabelle as they went in and out. The newspaper article was in his hands and he had changed his tie since Sara saw him. Josh, Leo, Zoey, and Abbey were also with Toby. It was a relief for Sara to see Zoey. The two were quickly becoming friends. 

"Where are Huck and Molly?" Sara asked. 

"Donna has them. She said she would watch them until after the conference." Josh said. 

"Good. Let's go." C.J. said. 

They entered the White House Press Room to cameras flashing everywhere. In the back of the room, Josh, Leo, Zoey, Abbey, and Andy were standing at the back of the room. Andy had been late getting there and was ready for the questions she was sure where going to come up about her. Despite everything, the rumors about her accusations during their marriage about Toby and C.J. had gotten around town. C.J. moved to the podium and opened the file Carol had handed her, Sara knew it contained the statement that had been prepared. 

"Good Morning." C.J. said. "I have a prepared statement and then we will take questions. 

"Twenty-two years ago I chose to put a baby girl up for adoption in hopes that her adoptive family would be able to give her a better life than I felt I could provide. She was adopted by James and Christy Concannon. Sara was with them until her parents died in a car accident almost ten years ago. At that time she moved to Washington, D.C. with her godfather and guardian, Danny Concannon. 

"A month ago, Sara requested her records. This past weekend, myself and Toby Ziegler have taken the time to get to know our daughter. We have also announced our current relationship, one that started not long after we were contacted by Sara. 

"We will take your questions now. You can address anyone on the panel." 

"SARA!" 

"C.J.!" 

"TOBY!" 

"DANNY!" 

"Katie." C.J. called. 

"Sara, how has it been so far?" 

"Well, I have spent time with my parents, meet my brother and sister, and made some new friends here at the White House. I would say it's been going well." Sara said with a smile. 

"Steve." 

"C.J., how long had you and Toby been involved when you learned you were pregnant with Sara?" 

"We had dated for almost six months when the campaign we were working on was over. I moved to California and learned I was pregnant several weeks later. Toby and I had parted on good terms and he even came and was present when Sara was born." C.J. said. "David." 

"Danny, did you know that C.J. and Toby were the parents before Sara received her records?" 

"No." Danny said. "I was present when they took Sara home from the hospital but I didn't make the connection until Sara received her records." 

"Jason." 

"Toby, where you having an affair with C.J. during your marriage to former Congresswoman Andrea Wyatt?" 

"No." Toby replied angrily. "My relationship with C.J. as it stands now began after my divorce and only within the last few weeks." That had been the agreement they had all come to. 

"Julie." 

"Sara, what is your relationship with your Uncle Danny?" 

"He has been like my dad and big brother rolled into one. He has encouraged me, supported me, and made sure that I was taken care of. It was hard at first because his job kept weird hours but we finally got a system. We are still very close, even now." Sara said while a smile to her uncle. 

"Maria." 

"C.J., how does it feel to have Sara back in your life?" 

"Wonderful. It was hard letting her go but I knew that, at that time, it was the right thing. It is a blessing to have her back." C.J. paused to look at Sara. "I look forward to getting to know her in the future." 

"Eric." 

"Toby, is there any truth to the rumor that you asked C.J. to marry you when you learned she was pregnant?" 

"I did." Toby replied. "But at the time, we both felt that it would have been based on our child and would not have created a good environment for her." 

"Last question." C.J. called. "David." 

"Sara, what do you plan to do now that you have found your birthparents?" 

"Right now I am looking forward to getting to know them and, as time goes on, making them a part of my everyday life. It is something that I am looking forward to." 

"Alright everyone. That's enough. And, one more thing. We, that is Toby and myself, are requesting that Sara be left alone by the press so that her life is not affected by this." C.J. smiled at the crowd. "Well, this has been fun boys and girls, I don't really miss you all, just last at night. Have a good day." 

The press was laughing as the group walked out of the pressroom and headed to C.J.'s office. Once there, they sat down and waited for everyone to find a place. Toby and C.J. sat on the couch with Sara on the arm. Danny, Josh, and Leo were standing to allow Abbey and Zoey the chance to sit in the chairs across from the couch. Everyone appeared to be relieved. 

"Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." Sara said. 

"Yeah." Toby said. "I figured that they might ask about you sleeping your way into the job." 

"Couldn't thing they didn't." Josh said. "Or I would have had to kick some ass." 

"No, you would have been standing behind me while I kicked some ass." Toby assured him. "If anyone even suggests it, they will have to deal with me." 

"Toby, no one has said anything. I am interested in the 'affair' you and I have been having for years?"  
"I will explain later." Toby said trying to change the subject. 

"You bet you will." C.J. said. 

"Well, I have to get going." Danny said. "I have a deadline and I need to finish the story." 

"I'll see you at home later." Sara said. 

"Yeah, Sara and I are gonna grab some Secret Agents and go shopping." Zoey said. "Christmas is right around the corner. We have a lot to do." 

"Hey, I also have to get Chanukah gifts." Sara said. 

"You mean you're Jewish?" Toby asked excited. "I thought that the Concannon family was Catholic." 

"They are. I celebrate both. Besides, Uncle Danny and I cave people since we don't go to Mass every Sunday. But I do go to Temple every Saturday." Sara said. 

"Well, that is a relief." Toby said and everyone laughed. 

"Alright, I guess I will see you later. Don't spend too much. Then again…." Sara hit Danny with one of the pillows. "Alright, alright." And Danny was gone. 

"We have to get back to work." Josh said. 

"Actually, nothing needs our attention today." C.J. said. "Everything is planned, everything is organized, you name it it's done." 

"Well Claudia Jean, you think the girls would let us go shopping with them?" 

"You could always ask us." Zoey told her Mom. 

"We might need to be bribed or something." Sara said. 

"Well, I do need some new suits. My new job kina requires it." C.J. said. 

"If we disappear, we will still take an agent with us and you two can do whatever you want." Zoey said. 

"Deal." Abbey and C.J. said. 

The rest of the day found the mothers and daughters spending time together at the mall while shopping for whatever they needed. Zoey and Sara disappeared to shop a few stores that no one would be caught shopping in with their mothers. By the end of the day, they were loaded with shopping bags. In the limo they chatted their way back to the White House and said good-night. 

"Hey Mom?" Sara asked. 

"Yeah?" C.J. wondered. 

"I'm really happy." 

"Yeah?" 

'Yeah." Sara said. "Finding you guys was the best thing I ever did." 


End file.
